The Belgian UFO wave was a group of sightings of triangular UFOs in Belgium. These sightings happened between November 29, 1989, and April 1990.
The sightings
The Belgian UFO wave began in November 1989. Many reports were made, most of which were filed weeks after the events. Many of these reports described a large object flying at a low altitude. Some reports also mentioned that the object had a flat, triangular shape with lights beneath it.
The wave reached its peak on the night of March 30, 1990. On that night, one object was tracked on radar, and two Belgian Air Force F-16s were sent to investigate. Neither pilot saw the object. No public reports were received on that date. However, over the next two weeks, 143 people claimed to have seen the object, all of whom reported their sightings after the event. In the months that followed, many others also claimed to have witnessed these events. After the incident, the Belgian Air Force released a report explaining what happened that night.
At around 23:00 on March 30, 1990, the supervisor at the Control Reporting Center (CRC) in Glons received reports that three unusual lights were moving toward Thorembais-Gembloux, a location southeast of Brussels. The Glons CRC asked the Wavre gendarmerie to send a patrol to confirm the sighting.
Later reports stated that about 10 minutes later, a second set of lights was seen moving toward the first triangle. The Semmerzake Traffic Center tracked one object on its radar and ordered two F-16s from Beauvechain Air Base to investigate. After the event, witnesses described seeing the object from the ground and noted that the lights maintained their positions while moving slowly across the sky.
Over the next hour, the two F-16s made nine attempts to intercept the object. On three occasions, they briefly locked onto the object with radar, but these were later found to be radar locks on each other. The pilots did not see the object, did not observe any reported movements, and only locked onto the other F-16. Other radar contacts were later determined to be caused by a known atmospheric effect called Bragg scattering.
After 00:30, radar contact became less frequent, and the last confirmed radar lock occurred at 00:40. Following several unconfirmed radar contacts, the F-16s returned to base shortly after 01:00.
Members of the Wavre gendarmerie, who had been sent to investigate the original report, described seeing four lights arranged in a square formation. The lights made short, jerky movements before gradually dimming and disappearing in four separate directions around 01:30. They also reported hearing a low engine noise and seeing what appeared to be a stick extending from one end of the object with a turbine attached. This has led many to believe the object resembled a helicopter.
Patrick Maréchal hoax photograph
In April 1990, a photograph of a black triangular object with three lights at its corners was shared by an unknown person. This image, called the "Petit-Rechain photo," became widely known in newspapers and other media during a time when many sightings of unidentified flying objects were reported. Experts, including NASA, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and the Belgian Royal Military Academy, studied the photo but could not confirm its origin or find clear signs that it was fake. Some people questioned its authenticity because the photographer remained anonymous, but others argued that this did not prove it was not real. For 20 years, the UFO research group Société belge d'étude des phénomènes spatiaux (SOBEPS) said the photo was genuine, while other groups were uncertain.
On July 26, 2011, Patrick Maréchal, in an interview with the Belgian TV channel RTL, admitted that he created the photo as a prank to trick his coworkers. He explained that he made the object by cutting a piece of foam into a triangle, painting it black, placing flashlights in each corner, and hanging it from a string.
In a September 27, 2016, episode of the Skeptoid podcast titled "The Belgian UFO Wave," author Brian Dunning discussed the photo and stated that it represents the overall quality of evidence collected during the Belgian UFO wave.
Explanations
In 1992, about three years after the first sighting on 29 November 1989 in Eupen, Marc Hallet wrote an essay titled The Belgian UFO Wave or the Triumph of Misinformation. In this work, Hallet criticized the SOBEPS, a UFO research organization, for spreading false information in the media. He argued that the Belgian UFO wave was mostly a mass delusion, meaning many people believed in the sightings even though they were not real. Hallet claimed this belief was fueled by SOBEPS's efforts. He also referred to Philip J. Klass’s law, which explains that once media reports suggest UFOs might be nearby, people may misinterpret normal objects, such as planes or stars, as UFOs. These reports can create excitement, leading more people to look for UFOs, which increases the number of sightings until media interest fades.
In 1993, Pierre Magain and Marc Remy published an article in Physicalia Magazine. They disagreed with SOBEPS’s conclusions and suggested that the Belgian UFO wave should be studied by experts in human sciences, such as psychologists or sociologists, rather than physicists.
In The Belgian UFO Wave of 1989–1992 – A Neglected Hypothesis, Renaud Leclet and others discussed the possibility that some sightings could be explained by helicopters. Many witnesses reported that the objects were silent. The authors suggested that the lack of noise might have been due to engine noise from the witnesses’ cars or strong wind blowing away from them.
In The Beginning of the Belgian UFO Wave, Jean-Michel Abrassart argued that the start of the wave did not contradict the psychosocial hypothesis, which suggests that UFO sightings are often influenced by social and psychological factors. This view opposed the claims made by SOBEPS. In 2011, Auguste Meessen published an article on his website titled The Belgian Wave and the Photos of Stuff, where he responded to criticisms by Roger Paquay and Jean-Michel Abrassart. Meessen argued that the Belgian UFO wave remains unexplained. Both Paquay and Abrassart later wrote rebuttals to Meessen’s article.
In the Skeptoid podcast episode The Belgian UFO Wave, Brian Dunning discussed the F-16 chase. He noted that pilots had intermittent contact with objects, which appeared and disappeared quickly, sometimes moving underground. The pilots never saw anything clearly. SOBEPS reported nine instances of radar lock on targets, but the Belgian military only confirmed three such locks. Analysis showed these three locks were actually tracking each other. Other contacts were explained by a natural atmospheric phenomenon called Bragg scattering.
Dunning also addressed the large number of eyewitness reports and the lack of photographic evidence. He explained that media coverage of UFO sightings could lead people to believe they had seen a UFO, even if they had previously thought they saw a star or an airplane. This led many people to report sightings to SOBEPS after reading news articles. Over time, SOBEPS received up to 2,600 reports. However, the 143 reports related to the first sighting on 29 November 1989 were only submitted after weeks of media campaigns. Dunning concluded that the wave was a psychosocial phenomenon, which explains why there is little evidence and only one questionable photograph. If 13,500 people had truly seen a UFO, more than one photo would likely exist.
General Wilfried De Brouwer, who was Chief of Operations of the Air Staff at the time, initially believed the sightings might be caused by experimental American aircraft. However, American authorities confirmed that no USAF stealth aircraft were operating in the area during the relevant periods.